At least 50% of the metal we use is recycled. Much of it originates from scrap metal which comes from a variety of sources and is melted together. In some cases, a number of these sources may have been radioactively contaminated either from natural sources (for example, soil) or artificial sources (for example, nuclear power plants).

An increased number of incidents involving radioactive scrap metal has prompted the international community to actively address the issue of monitoring radioactive scrap metal.